Warbirds and Wheels, Military aircraft and vintage automobile museum in Wanaka, New Zealand

Warbirds and Wheels was a museum at Wānaka Airport on State Highway 6, displaying military aircraft on static display and classic and vintage automobiles and motorcycles. Its aircraft included a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, a BAC Strikemaster Mk 88, a de Havilland Vampire FB5, a Hawker Hurricane Mk IIA and a replica Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a. The car collection, managed by a consortium of private collectors from Wanaka, focused on vehicles of the 1930s to 1950s, shown with period petrol pumps and signs.

Warbirds and Wheels operated from 2011 to 2021 as a successor to the earlier New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum. It brought together the collection of military aircraft and motor vehicles under a new institutional roof.

The collection displayed rare vehicles from different eras, including a 1934 Duesenberg Model J, the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere. Visitors could view these historic automobiles and motorcycles up close and learn about their backgrounds.

The museum stood at Wānaka Airport on State Highway 6, outside the town centre, so visitors reached it by car or as part of a flight-related stop. The site was on the airport grounds, and the collection was displayed indoors.

The museum allowed visitors to ride in registered vintage vehicles that were kept in working condition and maintained to safety standards. This rare opportunity meant experiencing history firsthand rather than simply observing it from a distance.